The Paulist Community
is a society of apostolic life in the Roman Catholic Church. Founded in
1858 by New Yorker Isaac Hecker, the Paulists serve as ordained missionaries
to North America. Their instinctive orientation is reaching out-particularly
to those without faith or on the edge of faith, and to other believers.
They seek visible expressions of unity in faith, worship and work with
other Christians, and relationships of respect, understanding and collaboration
with members of other religions.

The Paulists greeted
the new millennium by opening a Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical
and Interfaith Relations presently located in Boston, MA. The work of the office
is directed by Fr. Thomas Ryan, CSP (Community of St. Paul).

Born and raised in
southern Minnesota, Tom did his graduate studies in theology at the Washington
(D.C.) Theological Union and the University of Geneva. He was ordained
a Paulist in 1975, and served in campus ministry at the Ohio State University
(Columbus) and at McGill University (Montreal, QC.), prior to directing
the Montreal-based Canadian Centre for Ecumenism for 14 years and working
in all ten provinces of Canada. Perceiving the need for places where Christians
of different traditions could gather to share faith and life with each
other as well as with members of other religions, he spearheaded the founding
of Unitas in Montreal, an ecumenical center for spirituality and Christian
meditation co-sponsored by eight different denominations. He served as
its director for five years prior to answering the call of his community
in January of 2000 to set up and develop the Paulist Office for Ecumenical
and Interfaith Relations.

The Paulists

We give the word of God a voicein pulpits and print, on radio and television,on the web and the wide screen.
We search out those who have no church home,and welcome home those who have been away.

We share the passion of Paulfor unity in faith and solidarity in missionamong all the baptized in the body of Christ.We build bridges of respect and collaborationwith people of other world religions.

We welcome people of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds
in our parish, city center, and campus worshipping communities.
The gospel we preach calls for all the children of God
to be treated with dignity and justice.

We claim Isaac Hecker as our founder,the Holy Spirit as our primary guide,St. Paul as our patron,and laity as our valued partners in mission.We are Paulists. Missionaries to North America.